Performer, Innovator, Educator

A passionate ambassador of classical music, violinist Monique Mead has established an international presence as a performer, educator, and innovator. Her audience-centered programs draw thousands of new concertgoers annually and create relevance for classical music in the 21st century.

Violinist and Presenter

Inspired and mentored by Leonard Bernstein, violinist Monique Mead has devoted her performing career to nurturing new audiences and deepening the musical experience for seasoned concertgoers. Her programs with major orchestras and festivals in the United States and Europe have drawn international acclaim for their popular appeal and innovative approach.

As Director of Music Entrepreneurship Studies, Monique Mead has developed a curriculum based on experiential learning that fosters student initiatives and provides project-based internships with major arts organizations. She collaborates with a faculty of world-class musicians to offer insight to professional life and help students take an innovative approach in crafting unique musical paths.

Monique Mead is the founder and Director of the Center for Arts Innovation at Carnegie Mellon University. Its mission is to explore challenges facing modern non-profit arts organizations, develop strategies to enhance existing programs and create new revenue streams, and train the next generation of musicians to become better and more effective artists, educators and entrepreneurs.

Since 2010, Monique Mead has been connecting Pittsburgh families with music, musicians, and maestros, giving them personal contact to Pittsburgh Symphony’s Music Director, Manfred Honeck and other world-class conductors and soloists. Offered to partner schools, "Meet the Maestro" offers a family-friendly concert experience and comes with a package of dynamic workshops and assemblies presented by PSO musicians as well as Teaching Artists from Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Music.

Recognized for her innovative approach in presenting youth and family concerts since 1997, Monique Mead pioneered the idea of integrative educational concerts in Germany, performing with major symphony orchestras throughout the country and developing long-term educational and audience-building programs in Munich, Cologne, Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Gelsenkirchen, among others. While she continues to perform in Germany, she has adapted many programs for American orchestras and offers seminars to train other musicians in this dynamic approach.

Monique Mead and Andres Cardenes have been Music Directors of the Strings Music Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado since 2008. They present and perform a six-week summer season of chamber music and orchestra concerts featuring artists such as Menahem Pressler, Jon Kimura Parker, Chee Yun, Desmond Hoebig, David Hardy, and Toby Appel. Monique also serves as concert commentator for all classical programs. The 2014 season will mark their final year as Music Directors.

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